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Bold action needed for PIT Airport upgrade

3 min read
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When Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) opened its new landside and airside terminals in October 1992, the facility was the envy of aviation enthusiasts across the country.

The revolutionary X-shaped design of the airside terminal detached from security, ticketing and baggage claim areas – allowing planes to access the gates from all sides – was cutting edge for its time. The underground tram that whisked passengers to their flights and the AirMall in the main concourse were favorites for many who visited.

Overall, the airport became a point of pride for a region with its beauty and innovation.

But the $1 billion airport constructed to be a hub for USAirways never reached its lofty potential. Instead, the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks radically changed airport security, effectively cutting off the AirMall from the customers it was hoping to reach. Meanwhile, two bankruptcies for USAirways doomed the Pittsburgh hub as the airline moved flights to Charlotte, N.C., and Philadelphia, before recently merging with American Airlines.

For more than a decade, PIT floundered as it tried to find its footing. That was until new Allegheny County Airport Authority CEO Christina Cassotis took the reins in 2015. Her leadership immediately infused life into the moribund airport, attracting low-cost carriers, adding international destinations and nearly doubling nonstop flights in less than three years.

Just this month, the airport authority announced it finalized an agreement with the federal Transportation Security Administration to reopen the AirMall to nonfliers, a pioneering step for the industry since 9/11.

Even with those improvements, however, the albatross of an oversized airport built for a bygone era hung around the neck of the region. The airport was in need of a bold change.

That came Tuesday when the Allegheny County Airport Authority announced it plans to allocate $1.1 billion to expand the airside terminal in order to consolidate the ticketing, security and baggage claim on that side, while abandoning the landside terminal. The upgrade also offers a total renovation of the airside concourse, which was badly in need of updates.

While the initial concept – illustrating a glimmering new terminal nestled between two of the X-shaped gates – has been met with rave reviews, there also are several concerns raised by the public, including the total cost of the project and the need for a new airport to replace one built less than three decades ago.

County officials assured the public no local tax dollars will be used for construction, which should be a relief for Allegheny County taxpayers. But it’s unfortunate the public is still paying off the loan on the current airport while the authority takes on more of a financial burden.

There are also questions about what will happen to the airside terminal, which could be transformed into an office building, or demolished to make room for other development. And what will happen to the hotel, perched just outside that terminal, if it’s no longer within walking distance for fliers?

But the benefits far outweigh those potential issues.

Why should the airport authority continue to operate the obsolete landside building for years to come, paying about $23 million in annual operating costs, when it could cut its losses now and create an airport that fits the needs of a city on the rebound.

Passengers who fly through Charlotte’s sparkling terminal already see examples of where Pittsburgh International Airport has been when it had a hub, and what it can be now as a 21st century airport.

Quite simply, it’s time to modernize the airport.

This is the airport Pittsburgh deserves.

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